Toy-railroad-track construction



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' M QAUS@ TOY RAILROAD TRACK CONSTRUGTIGN Fila@ march 4:1, 1927 Non@ nINVENTOR ATTORNEY patted llebl 12, di

RIO CARUSO, @F IRVINGTON, NEW 1' JERSEY, .ASSGNOR T@ THE Lllllm COF@-lllhl', 0h NEW YGRE, N. Y., A CORIEGRATION 0E' NEW YORK.

'.lGY-RJLRAlD-TRACK GUNSTRUCTIM.

.application ledl Maren l1, 1927. Serial No. 172,777.. l

'lhe present invention relates to toy railroad track construction and ismore particularly directed toward improvements in the construction orspecial sections of toy electric railroad tracks such as switches,crossings and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide asection of toy railroad trackin which a sheet metal stamping having a substantially flat uppersurface supports the wheel bearing or track rails and the power or thirdrail and wherein these rails are mounted on the rail support by means ofprongs projecting downwardly from the base of the rail and passingthrough slots or apertures in the rail support,

the prongs being bent up underneath the lower side of the rail support.Where it is desired to insulate a rail, such for example as the power orthird rail, suitable insulating means are inserted between that rail andthe rail support. i K

Another objectl or the invention is to provide a switch section for toyrailroads in which stationary converging wheel bearing rails areseparated from one another and from the diverging wheel bearing rails,which carry the train away from the frog, a sufficient distance so thatdanges on the car wheels may pass through, and to associate with thefrog and converging rails, aI short platform to receive the flanges onthe wheels and maintain the wheels at substantially the same level theywould be were the treads resting on a rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy railroad trackswitch with suitable guards or antiderailing devices to prevent the cartrucks from becoming derailed when pass-l ing through the switch.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent as thedescription proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show, tor purposes of illustrating theinvention, one of the many possible embodiments in which the in ventionmay take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative ofthe invention rather than limiting the same.

1n these drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview'of a track switch for toy electric'railroads showing the wheel bearing rails, the third rails and switchtongues together with the rail support, but omitting the switchactuating mechanism;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 3b are fragmentary views illustrating the means forsupporting the third or power rail;

vFigure 4e is a sectional View on the line l-l of Figure 55 and tFigure5 is an inverted plan view of the to track switch.

As shown in the drawings, the track conu struction, eXempliiie-d in theform oi a track switch for toy railroads, is made up in the form of aninterchangeable section ot railroad track adapted to be connected intotrack layouts having other sectionsoit toy railroad track. As hereillustrated the track switch has a main line designated by the letter Aand a. branch line designated by the letter B. The main line A has astraight track or wheel bearing rail 10 extending through the 4length ofthe track switch section, while the branch line B has a curved outsidetrack rail 11 which extends from the lower righthan'd end of the switchas indicated in the drawings, out'through the branch line. The main andbranch lines also have wheel bearing rails 12 and 13 which diverge froma frog 14C.

These rails as well as all the other parts of the section of track aremounted on a track support 15 which is preferably made in the form of asheet meta-l stamping of the proper shape to support the rails and theoperating device for the switch. 151s indicated in the drawings, thisstamped rail support is provided with downwardly bent tlanges 16a, 16h,16". 16d and 16e extending along the edges to stiden the rail support,and with end flanges 17 having outwardly extending lower ends or feet17. These lianges 17 are for the purpose of supporting the track sectionand for facilitating coupling the section to other track sections byconnecting ties customarily used in assembling toy track lay-outs. 95

The. wheel bearing rails .10, 11, 12 and 13 are each made out tot sheetmetal stampings by folding the stamping to the cross section indicatedin Figure 2 wherein it appears that the rail has an upper or treadportion 18, two 10u vertical walls 19 and 19 supporting the upperportion anda wider base portion having walls 20 and 20 extending down tothe upper surface of the supporting plate 15. The Fstampings from whichthe sheet metal rails 1115 are made are also provided with suitablyspaced prongs 21 preferably arranged in pairs as indicated. These prongsare passed through apertures 22 punched in the sheet l metal railsupport and are then bent up un- 11u derneath the lower side of the railsupport to securely fasten the wheel bearing rails in lace on the railsupport.

The track switch shown in the drawings is also provided with a Y-sbapedcontinuous third or power rail 23 for conducting current through boththe main line and the branch line. This power rail is made up of' threeparts, including a straight third rail 24 between the wheel bearingrails 10 and 12, a curved power supply rail 25 between the rails 11 and13, and a if-shaped sheet metal stamping 26. The rails 24 and 25 aremade of sheet metal in approximatel the same manner as the wheel bearingrai s. These dider, however, in that the wider spaced base portions 20eand 20b are short instead of being continuous. The third "rails areprovided wit-h prongs 21a and 21b which extend downwardly from the widebase portions 20a and 20b of the third rails, similar to the prongs 21on the wheel bearing rails.

The third rails are insulated from the rail support 15 by means of twoEHI-shaped plates 27 and 28 of insulating material arranged above andbelow the sheet metal support. The rail support 15 is provided withdepressions 29 to receive the upper y'insulating plates 27 and thesedepressed portions are provided with comparatively large apertures 30.As indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3a the insulatingplates 27 and 28are H-shaped and are so arranged as to hold lthe prongs 21a and 21b outof contact with the bridging member 31 between the holes 30. Theportions 20a and 2()b of these third rails which support the bodies ofthe rails are shorter than the insulating plates 27 and 28, andtherefore do not come in contact with the supporting plate 15. Byplacing the insulating plate in the 'depression 29 and clamping theparts tightly together one provides a construction in which the third orpower rail is insulatively supported and at the same time held fromshifting longitudinally or laterally. l

The sheet metal stamping 26 forming the Y-shaped portion of theconductor rail has its right hand end (as indicated in Figure 1) a crosssection substantially as the third or power rails 24 and 25. Thisstamping has a broadened portion 32 and a depressed portion 33 which isadaptedto pass downwardly into an aperture 34 punched in the -railsupport. The ends35 and 36 of the' Y-shaped stamping are then bent up tobe adjacent the ends 24 and 25 of the power rails 24 and 25. Thestamping 26 may be conveniently fastened to these rails by passing theend portions of the stamping into the rails from underneath and applyingdrops of solder at the points indicated at 37. The stamping 26 isinsulatively supported from meneer are in the form of a triangularshaped sheet metal stamping 44 bent up along the sidesv to provide therails. This stamping is fastened 'to the supporting plate 15 by prongs45 so as to locate the rails 42 and 43 inline with the rails 12 and 13respectively. |This stamping 44 has an opening in the center asindicated at 46 to permit the third rail member 26 to pass downwardlythrough it, this third rail member being carried underneath the rails 42and 43. The rails 42 and 43 are brought adjacent the frog 14 and ifdesired may include insulators 47 to prevent grounding the movingcontact on the locomotive as itpasses from the broadenedportion 32 ofthe power rail to the portions 24 or 25.

As the rails 42 and 43 are stationary7 it is necessary to separate themsuciently from the ends of rails 12 and 13 to permit the flanges ofthecar wheels to pass through both the main line and the branch linewithout interference. In order to prevent the wheel of the car fromdropping on account of the gap between the wheel bearing rails, thepresenty invention contemplates the provision of platforms 48 and 49which may be parts of the stamping forming the frog 14. These platformsare so arranged that the Vflange of the wheel rolls across the platformand the wheel is carried at substantially the same elevation it wouldhave been carried were the tread ofthe wheel on a wheel bearing rail.

The position of the wheel is indicatedby dotted lines in Figure 4. rThisfrog or platform may be in the form of a stamping held in place byprongs 50 bent up underneath .the rail support.

Tn order to keep'the toy train on the track while it is passing Ithroughthe switch, wheel guards 51 and 52 are provided adjacent the rails 10and 11 and placed so that they engage the flanges of the wheels carriedon these rails at the time the flanges on the opposite wheels oit thecar truck are passing over the platforms 38 and 39. These wheel guardsare held in place by prongs 51 and 52.

The toy train may be guided through the main line A or onto the branchline B by meansv of a movable switch tongue 54 and of the proper shapeto guide the flange of a car wheel from the rail 10 onto the rail 43 orfrom the rail 11 onto Athe rail 42 depending v upon the' position of theswitch tongue. This switch tongue may be operated by a shift bar 55connected to the tongue by a member`56 passing through a slot '57 in thestamping.

meneer 50. The stamping may be cut away as indicated at 60 and 6l toreduce the weight if desired and may be provided with a lateralextension 62 for the support of the switch actuating mechanism which maybe mounted in an aperture 63 if desired. The central part of the trackswitch may be provided with a supporting block 64 arranged underneaththe frog of the switch.

Many of the improved features of track construction above described indetail as being employed in. toy railroad track switches are, it is ofcourse understood, applicable to other units of track customarily usedin toy track layouts, such as straight and curved sections of track,crossings and the like. Various arrangements of fixed and movable railsmay be employed. rl`he method of fastening the rails to the rail supportis such that the track section is materially stiffened by reason of thereinforcement aorded by the rails. The entire track section may beassembled very readily. The rails, Vfrog and wheel guards may be placedon the rail support and all the prongs bent down at one `time therebysecurely fastening all these parts in place.

lit will also be understood that any or all the wheel bearing or trackrails may be insu- What is claimed is:

`l. ln toy railroad track construction, a sheet metal rail support andasheet metal rail formed out of a strip of sheet metal folded ontoitself to provide a narrow upper portion and Wider base portionincluding spaced vertical side walls, the rail having pairs of attachingprongs extending doWnwardly from the vertical side walls and passingthrough holes in the rail support.

2. ln toy railroad track construction, a sheet metal rail support and asheet metal rail formed out of a strip of sheet metal folded onto itselfto provide a narrow upper portion and wider base portion includingspaced vertical side walls, the rail having pairs of attaching prongsextending downwardly from the vertical side walls and passing throughholes in the rail support and insulation between the rail support and thside wall of the rail and the prongs.

3. ln toy railroad track construction, a sheet metal rail support and asheet metal rail formed out of a strip of sheet metal folded onto itselfto provide a narrow upper portion and wider base portion includingspaced vertical side walls, the rail having pairs of attaching prongsextending downwardly from the vertical side walls and passing throughholes in the rail support and insulation between the rail support andthe side wall of the rail and the prongs, portions of the side walls ofthe rail between the pairs of attaching prongs being cut away to keepthe rails out of contact with the rail support, y p

Signed at Irvington, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,this 25 day of' February, 1927..

MARIO CARUSO.

